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As a little girl growing up, my parents always tried to protect me by telling me legends and tales. My city is pretty notorious for strange behavior or paranormal happenings that have been occurring since the 1900s. One old tale that stands out most in my mind is the one of the handsome soldier.

Whenever you were old enough to start going out, your parents always warned you about meeting boys and the handsome soldier. They say that if the soldier asks you for a dance or offers to walk you to your car and you go with him, tomorrow you will go missing. Others say that when you start to dance, the floor turns to fire and he drags you to Hell. The story goes, that a soldier from the North was stationed down here in Texas in order to keep a closer eye on some Confederate troops. While staying with an old farmer who figured he was just a passing drifter, the farmer’s beautiful daughter caught his eye. He fell in love with her quickly, but the daughter’s Confederate soldier husband stood in his way. Despite this, the northern solider, who my city later named Alexander, didn’t see any harm in flirting with the young girl. Alexander was tall, with jet black hair and enchanting blue eyes. Something that would catch your eye in an instant, and something you wouldn’t soon forget.

During dinner he would sneak glances and smiles at her, just to relish in her beauty. She was young, about twenty years old, and long, golden locks; that she kept in a tight bun. The solider was wild for her, but it wasn’t only his doings. The farmer’s daughter, Anne Marie, had grown tired of the marriage to her confederate soldier husband. She began to see freedom with Alexander, and she gladly returned his advances. The two carried their affair on for several months, and tried to keep everything under the rug. All until one day, Anne Marie announced to Alexander that she was pregnant. Alexander begged her to run away with him back to the North, where they could raise the child together and be happy. It seemed like a perfect idea, but Anne Marie couldn’t just leave her father and life here. She refused, and the couple had a very ugly fight. Much to the couples’ dismay, Anne Marie’s husband had been listening to the entire conversation on the other side of the door. Not only had his wife been having an affair with a Northern soldier, but she was also pregnant with his baby. Out of fury, he banished his wife to the desert with no food and water. Then he took the Northern soldier, tied his arms behind his back and set him on fire. Through the flames, those blue eyes burned up until the end. In one last scream, he vowed to return for his love.

Now, me and my friends always grew up knowing to never go home with a random boy or accept strange drinks from anyone. But when I set eyes in him, I was hypnotized. He was alone from what I could see, and he was sipping on a scotch. That little voice inside my head was screaming at me that this was Alexander, but I brushed it aside as me and all my girlfriends swooned at his beauty.

“Oh my god, Katie, he is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen! Too bad I’m taken. Girl, get over there and introduce yourself!” One of my girlfriends shreiked at me over the blues music. “Guys, he’s gorgeous, you’re right, but what if he has a girlfriend? What if he says no? I think I’ll just sit this one out.” I said sipping on my rum and coke. As I turned to relish in his beauty one more time, something struck me. We locked eyes and his eyes glared bright blue into mine. I swear we locked eyes for at least 5 minutes. I snapped out of it and leaned into what the girls were gossiping about, when I heard another shriek, “Oh my god! Katie! He’s getting up and coming over here!” I turned and soon enough this Greek God was standing at our table. “Can we help you with something?” One of my friends piped up. “Yes, what is your name, Miss?” His voice was smooth and sexy. “Me?” I said shocked beyond belief. “My name is Katie. And yours?” “That’s something I will tell you on the dance floor. Katie, would you like to have a dance?” He held out his hand for me. All my girlfriends looked at me, as if to scream at me with their eyes about the legend we all grew up with.

Now, I promise I knew that it was Alexander and that my mind was screaming at me to run home and jump under the covers of my bed sat home. But, most of me was paralyzed under his stare. I rose from my seat and sauntered over to the almost vacant dance floor. He was strong, and his dancing was beyond this world. We talked of life, music and movies. Nothing seemed to be throwing up red flags in my mind. Everything we talked about was normal and modern. Surely a ghost can’t talk about the latest movies! That’s when I remembered. “You forgot to tell me your name.”I said giggling and almost mockingly. His eyes evened and looked down at me, and said sternly, “My name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex.” My heart stopped in my chest as a large smile spread across his face. The ground began to heat up and everything went black. Now, I’m not too sure if I’m dead or alive, but someone left this scrap of paper and a piece of coal to write with. Maybe if you find this, you can tell the others to not even look at him. That I love my family and I wish I was home. Is that a barbecue? Smoke? Oh wait, screams? Oh god, fire. Now here he is, Alexander, the devil himself.